Crate assert2

All-purpose assert!(...) and check!(...) macros, inspired by Catch2. There is also a debug_assert!(...) macro that is disabled on optimized builds by default.

Why these macros?

These macros offer some benefits over the assertions from the standard library:

• The macros parse your expression to detect comparisons and adjust the error message accordingly. No more assert_eq or assert_ne, just write assert!(1 + 1 == 2), or even assert!(1 + 1 > 1)!
• You can test for pattern matches: assert!(let Err(_) = File::open("/non/existing/file")).
• The check macro can be used to perform multiple checks before panicking.
• The macros provide more information when the assertion fails.
• Colored failure messages!

The macros also accept additional arguments for a custom message, so it is fully comptabible with std::assert. That means you don't have to worry about overwriting the standard assert with use assert2::assert.

Examples

check!(6 + 1 <= 2 * 3);

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check!(true && false);

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check!(let Ok(_) = File::open("/non/existing/file"));

assert vs check

The crate provides two macros: check!(...) and assert!(...). The main difference is that check is really intended for test cases and doesn't immediately panic. Instead, it will print the assertion error and fail the test. This allows you to run multiple checks and can help to determine the reason of a test failure more easily. The assert macro on the other hand simply prints the error and panics, and can be used outside of tests just as well.

Currently, check uses a scope guard to delay the panic until the current scope ends. Ideally, check doesn't panic at all, but only signals that a test case has failed. If this becomes possible in the future, the check macro will change, so you should not rely on check to panic.

Difference between stable and nightly.

If available, the crate uses the proc_macro_span feature to get the original source code. On stable and beta, it falls back to stringifying the expression. This makes the output a bit more readable on nightly.

The let_assert!() macro

If you enable the let-assert feature of the crate, and the unstable proc_macro_hygiene feature, you can also use an additional macro: let_assert!(...). This is very similar to an assert with a let statement, except that all placeholders will be made available as variables in the calling scope.

This allows you to run additional checks on the captured variables. For example:

#![feature(proc_macro_hygiene)]

let_assert!(Ok(foo) = Foo::try_new("bar"));
check!(foo.name() == "bar");

let_assert!(Err(Error::InvalidName(e)) = Foo::try_new("bogus name"));
check!(e.name() == "bogus name");
check!(e.to_string() == "invalid name: bogus name");

Controlling colored output.

Colored output can be controlled using environment variables, as per the clicolors spec:

• CLICOLOR != 0: ANSI colors are supported and should be used when the program isn't piped.
• CLICOLOR == 0: Don't output ANSI color escape codes.
• CLICOLOR_FORCE != 0: ANSI colors should be enabled no matter what.

Macros

assert	Assert that an expression evaluates to true or matches a pattern.
check	Check if an expression evaluates to true or matches a pattern.
debug_assert	Assert that an expression evaluates to true or matches a pattern.
let_assert	feature="let-assert" and proc_macro_hygiene Assert that an expression matches a pattern.